Conventionally, some specimen analyzing apparatuses for analyzing specimens, such as blood analyzers and coagulation analyzers, supply a specimen using a specimen rack. The specimen rack is configured so as to be capable of holding a row of a plurality of specimen containers that contain specimen. A specimen rack, which holds a plurality of specimen containers, is placed on the transporting apparatus of the specimen analyzing apparatus. The transporting apparatus transports the specimen rack so that each specimen container is sequentially delivered to a specimen aspirating position. The specimen analyzing apparatus aspirates the specimen from the specimen container positioned at the specimen aspirating position, measures the components contained in the aspirated specimen, then analyzes the measurement result.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,448,487 discloses a specimen analyzing apparatus provided with a transporting apparatus such as described above. The transporting apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,448,487 is provided with a horizontal transport section for transporting the specimen rack on the transport path in a horizontal direction. The specimen aspirating position is set on the transport path. The horizontal transport section is provided with a rack moving part which has an engage member capable of engaging with the specimen rack, and a drive part for moving the rack moving part in a horizontal direction (transport direction). The horizontal transport section is disposed below the transport path of the specimen rack.
FIG. 23 is a front elevation view showing a horizontal transport section 901 disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,448,487. As shown in FIG. 23, an engage member 902 of the horizontal transport section 901 is configured to be capable of vertically ascending and descending via a solenoid 903. The engage member 902 extends from the transport path 904 when elevated, and extends into a concavity 906 of the bottom surface of a specimen rack 905 disposed at the horizontal transport start position. The horizontal transport section 901 is configured so that the engage member 902 engages with the wall 906a within the concavity 906 when a track conveyor 907 is moved in the arrow X1 direction, and the specimen rack 905 is transported in the same direction to sequentially position the specimen containers 908 at the specimen aspirating position.
The horizontal transport section 901 is configured so that a specimen container 908 which has already passed the specimen aspirating position can be returned to the specimen aspirating position for reanalysis. When performing reanalysis, the horizontal transport section 901 transports the specimen rack 905 in the reverse direction by moving the engage member 902 in the arrow X2 direction to return the specimen rack 905 to the horizontal transport start position. Thereafter, the horizontal transport section 901 positions the specimen container 908 at the specimen aspirating position by again moving the specimen rack 905 in the arrow X1 direction.
The horizontal transport section 901 shown in FIG. 23 returns the specimen rack 905 to the horizontal transport start position when performing reanalysis. The transport distance of the specimen rack 905 is therefore increased by repositioning the specimen container 908 at the specimen aspirating position, and the time required to perform the specimen aspirating operation is likewise increased. Processing efficiency is reduced accordingly.
To eliminate this problem, consideration has been given to moving the specimen container 908 to the specimen aspirating position directly, that is, not by way of the horizontal transport start position, in the process of moving the specimen rack 905 in the arrow X2 direction. However, such an operation can not be performed by the horizontal transport section 901. That is, the engage member 902 of the horizontal transport section 901 engages with the concavity 906 of the specimen rack 905 with a gap S therebetween. Therefore, when the specimen rack is transported in the arrow X2 direction after being transported in the arrow X1 direction, the pitch of the specimen rack 905 is shifted to the degree of the gap S within the concavity 906 when the engage member 902 is moved. The position of the specimen container 908 can not be accurately determined therefore in the process of moving the specimen rack 905 in the arrow X2 direction, which makes it difficult to dispose the specimen container 908 at the specimen aspirating position without passing through the horizontal transport start position.